Christmas rom-coms to Dolly Parton musical: A guide to holiday movies

The holidays were never going to feel normal in a pandemic, and with health officials warning against travel, it seems one of the most responsible ways to spend them might be sitting on a couch with a warm drink in hand, munching on popcorn while watching some mindlessly comforting TV movies.

Luckily, the annual barrage of ugly sweaters and eggnog-fueled drama has already commenced, with some of the earliest contenders hitting streaming platforms in late October — Halloween be damned. Big Christmas knows no bounds, and not even an airborne virus can stop the likes of Netflix from churning out dozens of movies this holiday season. This year, even more than most, we are so grateful. Choosing from those movies can be a surprisingly daunting task, so we’ve narrowed the field down to several options available on streaming services. Happy watching!

‘Holidate’: This movie stars Emma Roberts as a woman who seems to hate everything, including spending the holidays with family members obsessed with finding her a partner. She meets Luke Bracey’s character at the mall — one of the holiest places to spend Christmas, second only to churches — and they create a doomed arrangement to platonically spend holidays together from then on. Streaming now on Netflix.

‘Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey’: In addition to being an addictive snack mix at Trader Joe’s and an actual drug in ‘Riverdale’, ‘Jingle Jangle’ is now the name of a wacky musical starring Forest Whitaker as a toymaker whose granddaughter (Madalen Mills) aims to lift his low spirits years after his apprentice (Keegan Michael-Key) betrays him. The film also features Anika Noni Rose and Ricky Martin, along with original music from John Legend. Streaming now on Netflix.

‘Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square’: You know we had to start with this one. Not only does the musical boast a star-studded cast — joining Parton are Christine Baranski, Jenifer Lewis and Treat Williams, among others — but it was directed, choreographed and produced by another Hollywood icon, Debbie Allen. Parton wrote 14 songs for the film, which stars Baranski as a modern Scrooge who plans to sell her hometown’s land to a mall developer. Streaming now on Netflix.

‘The Christmas Chronicles 2’: For Kurt Russell, the ‘Christmas Chronicles’ movies, which star Darby Camp as a kid who helps Santa Claus save the day, are a family affair — stepson Oliver Hudson appeared in the first, while wife Goldie Hawn plays Mrs. Claus in the sequel, marking the couple’s first time on screen together since 1987’s ‘Overboard’. Russell recently compared the Netflix film’s script to ‘The Passion of the Christ’. Streaming now on Netflix.

‘Operation Christmas Drop’: There’s nothing like a feel-good romance to set the mood in the lead up to Christmas. Taking viewers out of the small-town rom-coms, this film takes us from the bright lights of Washington DC to a tiny tropical island where a hunky airforce captain takes on the tradition of airlifting goods to the citizens of Guam. Incidentally, this is based on a true story. Trust Netflix though, to bring in some romance.

‘The Princess Switch: Switched Again’: Two years after Vanessa Hudgens played a Chicago baker and the European duchess with whom she switches places at Christmastime, the actress reprises the double role — and tacks on a third, as the duchess’s evil cousin who tries to steal her throne. Fingers crossed we get four Vanessas next time. Streaming now on Netflix.

‘Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special’: Not exactly a Christmas movie, but the AppleTV+ special sets the stage for some yuletide melodies with season’s queen Mariah Carey getting behind the mic to belt out some tunes. Celebrity cameos galore, along with Carey’s own kids featuring, the special is packed with tunes, dances, animation and a heartwarming tale at the centre of it all.

‘Just Another Christmas’: ‘Groundhog Day’ is reimagined over Christmas in this Brazilian venture, where a family man finds himself stuck in a time loop where it’s forever Christmas. It would be great if he didn’t hate the holiday so much. The experience starts to teach him valuable lessons about what’s important in life.